Happy New Year!!! I hope that everyone had an amazing Christmas and holiday break! Mine was wonderful! We enjoyed a couple days with family and friends in Helena and then some time back in Billings relaxing!

In morning meetings this week we are going to review our classroom rules and routines as well as expectations. We want to start 2016 off right! We will also be learning about what to do when things aren't fair. We will also do some reading goal setting to prepare for taking our SRI reading test on Wednesday morning.

In reading this week we will start Unit 4 where we will research under the theme question: What is the story of Earth? This week we will focus on the skills of making connections, distinguishing fact from opinion, using a dictionary, and prefixes telling number. In writing we will start the week thinking about our goals for the new year. Then later in the week we will start writing persuasive advertisements. We will be talking about the ways in which many different ads persuade you to purchase something and try to apply that to our writing. You can see the kids unit 3 inquiry project presentations under the "Student Work" tab.

In math we are starting chapter 6. During this chapter we will learn division. We will start with division by sharing, then division by repeated subtraction, then thinking about the multiplication opposite (or missing number). Division is much easier if we have our multiplication memorized. This week we will really start working on memorizing our multiplication facts. Over the next 6 weeks I will send home 6 facts to memorize each week. Everyday we will take a quick practice quiz on them and on Friday we will take a short test. You should practice the fact in both directions for example: 4x3=12 and 3x4=12. Please help your kiddos practice their facts at home!!

Happy birthday to Scarlett on January 2nd! I hope you had a great day and we can celebrate when we get back to school!

Coming up next week we will be taking our winter NWEA tests. We only test reading and math in the winter to see a mid-year growth. We will take our reading test next Monday the 11th and our math on Tuesday the 12th, both will be in the morning. Please try not to schedule any appointments during those times. Thanks so much!!

I hope everyone had a great weekend! Mine was wonderful! On Friday my childhood friend who has been based in Japan with her husband surprised me and visited! It was so exciting and unexpected and so wonderful to see her!

We have a quick, short week this week and then a wonderful break for Christmas.

With the snow day last week everything got pushed back a day. So on Monday we will finish working on our inquiry presentations and hopefully have time to present. We will also take our chapter 5 math test. In social studies we will continue learning about immigration and Ellis Island.

Tuesday is a full day and the last day before break. This past month we have been reading Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as a class read aloud and on Tuesday morning we are going to watch Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and compare it to the book. This is the 1971 movie, so with it being the old one I'm hoping a few more of the kids haven't seen it. It is also rated G. We will also play some multiplication math games and do some reading on Raz Kids.

I hope you all have a joyful holiday. You should know that during morning meeting last week we had a wonderful discussion about the happy things in our life that we already had and the kids all felt that the most important was their family! I wish all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

There will be no school tomorrow, Tuesday, December 15th, due to the poor road conditions. Please stay tuned for more updates, but plan on school resuming on Wednesday. Here is the letter from Terry Bouck:

Dear Friends,Due to the unique weather systems that occurred today and the continued weather expected, Billings Public Schools will be closed tomorrow, December 15, 2015. I have consulted with Philip Steadman at First Student bus services, and have determined that the unusually icy road conditions are a safety risk our students, staff and families.I know that this closure can be an inconvenience. However, I have had the opportunity to travel across town, and cannot risk students and staff as they travel to schools, wait for bus stops, or take other chances to get to the buildings. If it were as simple as a large amount of snow or cold, we could look at other options. But the sheer condition of the roads leaves little room for changes in conditions.Thank you for your patience in this process, and I urge you to be extremely cautious over the next day. We will continue to assess the situation throughout the day tomorrow and continue to strive to make the best decisions for the safety of our students, staff and community. Please stay safe and warm!Best,Terry Nelsen Bouck Superintendent

Wow, what a joyful week! It started with many cute birthday note, pictures, and songs that made my day and ended with our wonderful Christmas performance! Check for pictures and videos under the "photos" tab.

In reading this week we will finish up Unit 3, thinking about how geography shapes our community. We will spend a lot of time working on our inquiry projects. The kids are using Google slides to make a powerpoint presentation, and they are looking great so far!

In math this week we will continue working on finding the unknown or missing number in a multiplication equation. We will also learn how to multiply by multiples of 10. We will end the week with our chapter 5 test. I can really tell that some of the kiddos have been practicing their multiplication facts at home, they are getting pretty quick!

In science this week the kids will get the chance to redesign their gliders based on the observations we made last week. They will get to decide as a group where to place weight in order to fly their glider the furthest. In social studies this week we will learn about immigration and how people become a part of our country.

Upcoming Events:

Wednesday, December 16th: Christmas program at Mission Ridge. We will walk up there from the school leaving at 9:00. We perform at 9:30.

Tuesday, December 22nd: Red and greed spirit day and the last day of school for 2015!

Wow, what a busy and great week we had last week. Thank you to everyone who came to Barnes and Noble Night, it was so great to see you all there.

We have a couple extra practices for music this week, so please make sure you have your tennis shoes on Monday and Wednesday please! Then because of the program rehearsal on Wednesday, our P.E. day has been moved to Tuesday, so please also have your gym shoes that day as well.

In reading this week we will be rereading Living on the Land and Tops and Bottoms. We will be comparing the two texts and reviewing the skills from this unit: sequence of events, context clues, homophones, multiple meaning words, noun suffixes, and monitoring our comprehension. We will spend time working on our inquiry projects, this unit the kids are making slideshow presentations.

In math last week we finished up chapter 4 and this week we are beginning chapter 5. Throughout this chapter we will be applying our knowledge of multiplication to describe patterns and find the unknown factor. The kids now really need practice on memorizing their multiplication facts, so this would be a great time to start practicing flash cards at home!!

In writing we will be finishing our reports and beginning a procedural "how to" writing. We will also be learning about action and linking verbs, irregular verbs, and verb tenses.

In science this week we will do trial 3 of our glider trials. Last week the kids were able to fly their glider once, then they had the option of adding weight in the form of a paper clip or binder clip to see if it would help their glider fly further. We made many great observations about if the weight helped or not based on where it was put, see if your kiddo can tell you about a few! In social studies we will finish up our unit on Montana Indian Reservations.

Please join us on Friday at either 10:00 a.m. or 1:30 p.m. to see the holiday program. The kids have been working very hard in music and it is always a great way to get into the Christmas spirit!! If you come to the 1:30 program you are welcome to take your kiddo home with you as soon as the program is over!

If you were interested in donating a new toy for Toys for Tots, they are being picked up on Wednesday, so please have them in by then!

This school year will mark my seventh year of teaching and I must say I am so blessed to be a part of such a great community at Arrowhead school. I am excited to begin a new year with a wonderful group of kids!! I grew up in Helena and attended college in Bozeman, MT at MSU. Go Bobcats! While there I obtained a degree in Elementary Education and a minor in Reading. In 2016 I received a masters degree in Education Leadership. Six years ago I married my high school sweetheart, Tymon. We also have a five year old adorable mini australian shepherd puppy, Molly. This year we are also welcoming our first child in February and we are so excited to be parents! When I am not teaching I love to be outside enjoying hiking trails or taking in a sporting event.